Saint Peter

Introduction

They sometimes cal St Peter 'prince of the apostles'. Prince comes from 'princeps', latin for chief. Why is he called so? Well, in the New Testament there are couple of lists of the apostles. The order of the names, and even some of the names are different in every list. But every time, Peter is on the first place. Also, in the ancient songs of the first Christians, the name of Peter is called most.

St Peter in brief

Before Jesus called him, Peter's name was Simeon, and he was a fisherman. He was married, cause in the same old songs, there is mentioned Jesus healed his mother-in-law. At Caeserea Philippi, Jesus gave him a new name. He said: "You are Peter, and you are the rock on which I will build my church." Peter comes from the Greek used in the New Testament and simply means 'Rock'.

Peter was quite a rash person, and he lacked courage on several moments. An example: before Whitsun, he didn't dare to come out of the building he and the other disciples where hiding themselves. He also betrayed Jesus by denying three times he knew him. Despite this act, Jesus forgive him, cause Peter regretted.

Did he really die in Rome?

Is a question posed by many people. The evidence he has really been there, and even died there is rare, but there are some clues in that direction.

Babylon

At the end of his first letter, Peter wrote: She who is in Babylon, who has a part with you in the purpose of God, sends you her love; and so does my son Mark. (Peter 5:13) As it is for sure Peter wasn't at the eastern city situated in what's Iraq nowadays, many people suppose this letter whas written by Peter out of Rome, and so Babylon is a metaphor for Rome.

Gaius

In the area of 200 AD, someone called Gaius (one of the early christians) wrote he could exactly point the place whare both Peter and Paul where laid after they died. Paul was burried ath the Via Ostia, Peter at the Vatican Hill. Gaius also tells us the spots are marked by monuments. One of those monuments is found right on the spot of what is now the papel altar of ST Peter's. The altar of nowadays is build in the 16th century, but it was build over earlier altars, going back to the first one, built by emperor Constantine. Beneath that altar, there is a grave dated in the ages of the martyrdom of St Peter

Crucification

The legend said Peter was crucified at circa 65 AD by Emperor Nero. As the tradition said, he should be crucified, but Peter asked to put his cross upside down, so people wouldn't think he was just imitating his master.